Youths bottle volunteer fire brigade

During the early hours of Sunday morning, the Tuakau Volunteer Fire Brigade were set upon by a group of youths as they returned home from a call out.

On Sunday 10 December 2017, the firefighters were returning after helping the Pukekohe Brigade contain a fire on Subway Road when a youth stepped out in front of the appliance, causing them to brake and take evasive action.

“We nearly ran them over. As we braked, we were confronted by a group of around five who began throwing bottles at us,” said Station Officer, Ben Wilson. “We requested Police assistance straight away, and kept an eye on the offenders until they arrived. Our main concern was the safety of our crew and the public.”

The disgusting behaviour has really disappointed Ben and his team.

“They have no respect for volunteer organisations, and for what they do in the community. It is not acceptable at all. We give up our time to provide this service to our community. We don’t deserve this disrepect.”

After posting about the incident on social media, the brigade has been inundated with supportive messages from members of the Tuakau community. Several members of the public have also called for the parents of the youth involved to take responsibility and make their children accountable for their actions.

A Police spokesperson stated that while two males were spoken to with regards to the incident, the bottle thrower was not identified.